Commissioners discuss proposed changes to Zoning Code

PASO ROBLES — Discussion to approve a proposed hotel on Pine Street was continued to a future Planning Commissioners meeting after lack of a proper quorum. During the Tuesday, July 9, meeting Planning Commissioners were expected to discuss a hotel proposed for the corner of Pine and 14th Street. The hotel plans to be a four-story, 56-room hotel located at the corner of Pine and 14th Street and will include a restaurant and banquet room. However, with Commissioners Sheree Davis, Patrick Connally, and Ty Christensen absent, the public hearing for the hotel legally had to be continued. 

In October 2021, the Planning Commissioners adopted Resolution PC 21-033, approving the development plan for the hotel, which will replace what is now the Nightmare from Main Street building and former thrift store. That sameresolution also approved off-site parking across the street. The parking is proposed to be built at 1320 Pine St., where Revamped Collections is currently located and next to the existing Reminisce Antiques. It is noted that Reminisce Antiques will remain in place. The hotel plan is in the Downtown Commercial General Plan (DC).

The parking lot will provide 47 spaces but according to staff’s report, “Forty-seven spaces would be provided at 1320 Pine Street and include valet parking. An additional 21 parking spaces are required by one of the methods listed in the conditions of approval, which include providing spaces at another site within a 1,250-foot walking distance of the hotel or payment of the City’s parking in-lieu fee.”

In October 2023, the permits approval expired and now, the applicant is requesting re-approval of the project. When approved in 2021 staff, Development Review Committee members, and Planning Commissioners had concerns over the lack of  “pedestrian-interest generating uses at the corner of 14th and Pine Streets where windows will screen the bottom of the swimming pool accessed from the second floor above, but will have no active uses inside.”

Part of those concerns come from the hotel including a second-story swimming pool and in the staff’s report, they state the plan is “intended to ensure that private development occurs according to the community’s vision of a compact, multi‐modal, pedestrian‐oriented urbanism that is respectful of Paso Robles’ history and culture.” To address the concerns, the applicant provided windows with images on the ground floor glass to add interest. 

As for the fiscal impact of the hotel, its guest will be opted in to pay the City’s Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOT at 11 percent). During the 2023 Fiscal Year, the City collected $7,575,000 in TOT.

Not having the public hearing for the hotel led to the commissioners to hear the discussion item on the Zoning Code update. For the last two years, the Planning Commission has been reviewing various sections of the Zoning Code whichis broken up in to the following articles:

  • Article 1: Enactment, Applicability, and Enforcement
  • Article 2: Code Administration and Permits
  • Article 3: Zones, Allowable Uses, and Development Standards
  • Article 4: Regulations and Standards Applicable to All Zones
  • Article 5: Special Regulations
  • Article 6: Standards for Specific Land Uses and Activities
  • Article 7: Nonconformities
  • Article 8: Environmental Hazards
  • Article 9: Terms and Definitions

You can find the proposed changes in full here: pub-pasorobles.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=4676

The final Zoning Code document will be brought to the Planning Commission for review and recommendation to Council for review for final adoption. Final adoption is expected to happen in August. 

The next Paso Robles Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m.